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How do you propose we would get man to mars without a heavy lift rocket or manned capsules? EDIT: the previous comment used to say that SLS and Orion was a 'wa
by RugnirViking 9y ago
How do you propose we would get man to mars without a heavy lift rocket or manned capsules?
EDIT: the previous comment used to say that SLS and Orion was a 'waste of money'. I accept that spaceX proposals among others are cheaper, however NASA, the US government, and many scientists also have a vested interest in keeping at least some orbital capability in the public sphere, even if only for military reasons
- Tepix 9y agoUse Falcon Heavy by SpaceX or New Glenn by Blue Origin for a fraction of the cost of SLS. Orion may be worth keeping. It is limited to 4 astronauts which is probably too small a crew for a 2.5 year Mars mission. I do think that it could be built much cheaper, however.
- DiThi 9y agoI don't think FH is enough for manned mars missions. It has enough delta V to land there but not to come back.
- Tepix 9y agoYou're right. FH would be only an intermediate step until ITS becomes available.
- Sir_Cmpwn 9y agoThe Falcon Heavy could send Red Dragons with supplies in advance of the ITS missions (this is in fact the plan).
- valuearb 9y agoA Falcon Heavy has close to the capacity of the first SLS version, and about half the later versions. But you can launch 20 Falcon Heavies for the cost of one SLS.
- DiThi 9y agoWith $10B and <10 years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qo78R_yYFA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qo78R_yYFA
- mikeash 9y agoSpaceX's ITS could be developed for a similar cost as SLS+Orion, while being vastly more capable.
- valuearb 9y agoI doubt the ITS will cost remotely that much, because it won't be a source of grift for the citizens of Alabama.